I am going to start practicing my soldering skills this up coming week so I can have them perfected by the time I do my map to maf conversion. However I have never done it before. I have a pretty old iron that belonged to my grandpa, plenty of solder and some scrap wire. I also found a thing of soldering paste in his garage.

What is soldering paste and what is it's purpose? And any general tricks of the trade would be very helpful. I want to try as many different ways I can so I can find the best fit. Thanks guys!

 

If your soldering paste is what I'm thinking of it's to clean up an tin the soldering tip so it heats up better, you don't need it, I just let the iron heat up and clean it with a wire brush.

Do yourself a favor and get a better soldering iron than the hundred year old one you've got.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...odsInSession=1

That one is nice and pretty cheap as far as good butane soldering irons go. I like the butane ones because they heat up way faster, get hotter and you don't have to deal with a cord. If you get a cheap butane soldering iron it won't really work that great but as small as the MAP wires are you should be fine so if you don't plan on doing much soldering in the future you'll be ok getting a cheaper one.

As far as tips go I like the ones that have flats on the end instead of the pointy ones. I feel like they get better contact with the wire.

I always let the iron heat up until it will melt the solder and let a little pool up on the tip before even touching it to the wire. That gives you a lot more heated surface area touching between the tip and the wire so it heats up better.

When you have the iron pressed against the wire it's usually easier to get the solder to start drawing into the wire if you actually touch the solder to the tip to melt it then drag it to the wire to transfer if that makes sense.

Also, less is more when it comes to soldering so once it's drawn in and coated in solder you're good, no need to keep piling on solder.

And don't forget the heat shrink BEFORE you start soldering. I solder most every day at work and I can't tell you how many times I've done this. It's annoying.

 

Soldering Tips

Lets see

Clean wire, clean soldering tip, adequate heat.

When you twist the two ends together make sure your hands are clean. Clean wire will wick the solder better than wire that is dirty. If it is dirty I use rubbing alcohol to clean prior to twisting the wires. After twisting the wire make sure the ends of the strands are not sticking up. If they are getting shrink tube over them can be a task.

Some times I have to use flux if the wires are old and have some corrosion on them. Use flux sparingly and try to remove as much of it as possible (with alcohol) before putting the shrink tube in place.

Also, get the soldering iron away from the wires as soon as possible. Excessive heat will make the wire brittle. I have seen a couple of times where too much heat has started to shrink the tubing making getting the tubing difficult to slide in place.

 

Thanks guys! I'll probably practice with my old iron to get the technique down and pick up a better one before I start on the conversion. I plan on doing as much of the soldering before the install as possible.

If I do forget to put the heat shrink on, what's the best way to fix that. I mean short of cutting the wire?

 

You can unsolder them by heating them back up and pulling them apart. I used to do it at first especially when I was rushing. You'll be paying attention so you'll remember.

 

Just remember to heat the part/wire. The solder won't stick if you don't heat the part.

 

Never clean your iron with a wire brush

Most of your info is good, but there are certain things you are assuming.

Solder Paste? Flux for acid core solder and copper pipes probably.
What kind of solder?
That new iron you linked to is not very good for outdoor work. Grandpa's old iron is probably much better. For wires, a gun or small torch is better.

Google "How to solder" and read a little and watch some youtube videos.

Start here: http://www.aaroncake.net/electronics/solder.htm

 

Cut the wire, and start over. BTW, you want Rosin Core Solder, preferably the 60/40 type for what you are going to do. Leave the acid core and paste to the plumber.

 

Why wouldn't you clean it with a wire brush? When it's hot it wipes the leftover solder right off.. You could use a rag, but like I said, it's rather hot.

And why would you cut the wire when you can just heat that solder back up and pull it apart then redo it? It's a little stiffer twisting back together but I've never had a problem getting it back.

I forgot there's other kinds of solder though cause I've never used them, good point.

 

Use a slightly dampened sponge or paper towel on a hot iron. A wire brush will damage your tip.

I guess you could unsolder it, but that is slow. a couple of quick snips and you can resolder, but you lose a little wire. If you solder well, you only lose 1/4 inch or so.

TIP: If you're going to buy an iron, and plan to use it many times, like any tool by a quality iron. I paid a little over $100 for my current iron in 1993 and it has been used for hundreds of hours in my electronics hobby and 5 years of that it was plugged in and operating 18 hours a day for 3 years when I had my radio repair shop.